It's been three years almost since I first sat on a Bullet... and I can still feel the thrill. It's funny how some associations just stick with you for your lifetime, my affair with the Enfield has been exactly that. I first sat on the Bullet Electra 350 cc, red colour... and I knew this was special. I had never felt like that on a bike before, and the moment I sat I was comfortable. That instinctual connection was fuelled by the connection I shared with the rider! :) And it was magical. To the point where, within a span of a few days, I could only by its sound (from far away) distinguish an Electra, from a Machismo, to a Thunderbird! And to think I had no idea about what bikes were! I only knew what they felt like!
Years later, my fascination continued, I began to judge the rider by the bike he rides, and automatically one who owned / rode an Enfield rose in my expectation and in my eyes... To the point where given a choice I would most certainly place trust in an Enfield rider than any other rider, although I'm well aware that not all of them would be as objective as the bike.
Objective. The one word that defines the bike to me. If I could express it, I find a lot in common with Ayn Rand, Howard Roark and the Enfield. And I'm not being (foolishly) romantic, just thoughtful. Think about it, all bikes have this false, expensive, huge, plastic sort of body to define the shape of the bike, when it's all actually very fake. It doesn't serve any purpose except to "make it look better". The aerodynamics is actually a farce. Compare that to the solid body of an Enfield. :) Some of these power bikes, have you heard their sound?? I mean seriously, I've got nothing against quieter bikes, but please the Yamaha FZ-16, though a very smooth bike, sounds like a Scooty! I can't stand it. If you mean power, you must sound like that. I might be labelled biased, but true bikers would agree, the TVS Apache, has a good sound, full-bodied kind of a strong base sound. It's more like the heavy base in the voice of a matured man sort of a thing... The Enfield doesn't pretend to be anything. You buy it because it is.
The website is a marketing genius of a tool! It's awe-inspiring, it's transparent, it's open and it gives you a glimpse of what it is to own an Enfield. Their branding, and marketing and especially their PR is so good, that you "feel" proud to own an Enfield and you "feel" like you cannot "compare an Enfield with any other bike"
One of my most loved lines, "If you need a reason to ride, you're not on the right bike." So Enfield in its thought!
I can't wait for the day when I'll own one... Till then, my love just continues to bloom! :)
P.S. - The second image is that of 50 Enfield riders on their yearly Himalayan Odyssey trip!
Comments
The thump, the rhythm, the breeze, the power and the pillion.
Ecstatic is not word enough to describe the feeling.